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15 April 2025
Mongols Motorcycle Club Member Arrested, Other Also Charged, with Assault and Murder of Rival Gang Member Last Month in OntarioRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club was arrested today, and another Mongols member has been charged, both in connection with the assault and murder of a rival motorcycle gang member at a San Bernardino County bar last month.
Clifford Michael Lavoy, 51, a.k.a. “Buckshot,” of Montclair, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint that charges him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering. Julian Pulido, 35, a.k.a. “Juls,” of Upland is charged via the same federal complaint with murder in aid of racketeering.
Lavoy was arrested this morning and made his initial appearance in United States District Court in Riverside this afternoon. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond and scheduled a May 6 arraignment in Riverside federal court.
Pulido currently is in state custody, charged in San Bernardino County Superior Court with murder. He is expected to make his initial appearance in Riverside federal court in the coming weeks.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, during the early morning hours of March 4, Pulido and Lavoy violently attacked the victim – a member of the Vagos, a rival motorcycle gang and who is identified in court documents as “V.S.” – at an Ontario bar. Inside the bar, the defendants confronted the victim, who was wearing clothing reflecting his Vagos membership, argued with him, and told the victim that he needed to show respect to them as Mongols members.
Later, the defendants assaulted and overpowered the victim, including by punching the victim in the face, choking him, and causing injuries to the victim’s face, head, and neck.
When the victim tried to run out of the bar, Pulido allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim several times in the back, causing the victim to fall through the door of the bar and bleed out on the sidewalk. The defendants then fled the scene. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:45 a.m.
Later that same day, Pulido led law enforcement on a nine-hour chase across five counties in California. He was arrested after crashing a black Dodge vehicle into a ditch during a high-speed chase along Highway 46 near Lost Hills in Kern County. At the time of his arrest, Pulido possessed the same Mongols-branded clothing he had worn on the night of V.S.’s murder.
Lavoy was arrested in Whittier, was booked then later released.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Pulido would face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison and Lavoy would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating this matter with the Ontario Police Department. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Declan T. Conroy and Daniel H. Weiner of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mexican National with Prior Convictions Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national residing in Las Vegas made his initial court appearance Monday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after being removed from the country on three prior occasions.
Jose Ricardo Lopez Munoz, 49, is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Lopez Munoz is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported and removed from the United States on November 13, 1995, February 26, 1997, and August 1, 2013, and reentered the United States illegally on or before November 28, 2023.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Lopez Munoz in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 13, 2025. Lopez Munoz has 18 aliases, and his prior felony convictions include: Illegal Re-entry from the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas; Menacing, from the District Court, El Paso County, Colorado; and Challenge to Fight with use of a Deadly Weapon and with the Intent to Promote Further or Assist a Criminal Gang from the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada.
ICE learned on December 1, 2023, of Lopez Munoz’s presence in the United States. after he was arrested by state law enforcement, in Clark County, Nevada, on November 28, 2023.
If convicted, Lopez Munoz faces the maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Mexican National Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Trafficking 230 Pounds of Methamphetamine and 5 Pounds of FentanylRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Isaac Abraham Sandoval Lopez, 36, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff to four years and nine months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, on June 26, 2024, officers stopped Sandoval Lopez for a traffic infraction while driving northbound on Interstate 5 in Fresno County. A subsequent search of his car revealed several bags, suitcases, and backpacks throughout the car containing different types of narcotics. In total, officers seized approximately 230 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of fentanyl, and 2 pounds of heroin.
This case was the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.
Members of a Massive International Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring Indicted in AtlantaRead the Press Release
On April 1, seven individuals in Georgia and Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia related to a drug trafficking and money laundering ring tied to a Mexico-based trafficker. Five of these defendants, all of Norcross, Georgia — Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, 49; Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, 22; David Miranda Vinalay, 39; Jerome Lewis, 47; and Irving Joel Hernandez, 34 — were arrested earlier today in a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and local law enforcement. The defendants were arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Judge following their arrests.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our federal partners and local law enforcement, five individuals working on behalf of the violent Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have been taken off our streets,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow these criminal enterprises to continue profiting off of the death and destruction of American lives.”
“The defendants allegedly trafficked high volumes of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our community and then laundered the illicit proceeds of their activities as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker, including more than $1 million during a mere two-month period,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia. “Although these individuals took great measures to conceal their alleged criminal conduct, a determined and coordinated effort by our federal and local law enforcement partners helped to secure the federal charges in this case.”
“The deadly impact of fentanyl on our communities is devastating,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA’s Atlanta Division. “These arrests should be a clear message to the traffickers that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
“Using our expertise in financial investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation is following the money, despite attempts by criminals to cover their tracks,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS-CI’s Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents in partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue our work investigating and holding accountable those responsible for bringing dangerous drugs into our communities.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie for the Northern District of Georgia, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In September 2024, the DEA uncovered a scheme involving drug traffickers delivering bulk currency from drug sales to a middleman in Norcross. The middleman then allegedly delivered the drug proceeds to defendants Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel (Chilel) and her daughter Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez (Perez), who then laundered the proceeds as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Chilel and Perez allegedly operated a money service business (MSB) in Norcross called “La Pulga Esperenza.”
Between September and November 2024, DEA saw several traffickers deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars of suspected drug proceeds to the middleman in Norcross, who then transferred the cash to Chilel and Perez. Agents with IRS-CI analyzed the MSB’s transactions and determined that the cash was wired to Mexico but was transferred in small increments so as not to raise suspicion by federal regulators. During a period of approximately two months, this ring of individuals allegedly laundered over $1 million in drug proceeds smuggled to Mexico.
During the investigation, the DEA identified several alleged traffickers who transported the drug proceeds to Norcross, including defendants David Miranda Vinalay, Jerome Lewis, and Irving Joel Hernandez. DEA identified one of the primary traffickers as being a member or associate of the CJNG. Additionally, as alleged in the indictment, some of the traffickers also possessed methamphetamine and fentanyl that they intended to distribute on behalf of the drug trafficking ring.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and IRS-CI. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Georgia State Patrol, Dekalb County, Georgia, Police Department, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Department, and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Dwayne A. Brown Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Members of a Massive International Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring Indicted in AtlantaRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – On April 1, 2025, seven individuals in Georgia and Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia related to a drug trafficking and money laundering ring tied to a Mexico-based trafficker. Five of these defendants, all of Norcross, Georgia – Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, age 49, Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, age 22, David Miranda Vinalay, age 39, Jerome Lewis, age 47, and Irving Joel Hernandez, age 34 – were arrested earlier today, on April 15, 2025, in a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and local law enforcement. The defendants were arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge following their arrests.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our federal partners and local law enforcement, five individuals working on behalf of the violent Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have been taken off our streets,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow these criminal enterprises to continue profiting off of the death and destruction of American lives.”
“The defendants allegedly trafficked high volumes of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our community and then laundered the illicit proceeds of their activities as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker, including more than $1 million during a mere two-month period,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Although these individuals took great measures to conceal their alleged criminal conduct, a determined and coordinated effort by our federal and local law enforcement partners helped to secure the federal charges in this case.”
“The deadly impact of fentanyl on our communities is devastating,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “These arrests should be a clear message to the traffickers that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
“Using our expertise in financial investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation is following the money, despite attempts by criminals to cover their tracks,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents in partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue our work investigating and holding accountable those responsible for bringing dangerous drugs into our communities.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In September 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) uncovered a scheme involving drug traffickers delivering bulk currency from drug sales to a middleman in Norcross. The middleman then allegedly delivered the drug proceeds to defendants Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel (“Chilel”) and her daughter Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez (“Perez”), who then laundered the proceeds as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Chilel and Perez allegedly operated a money service business (“MSB”) in Norcross called “La Pulga Esperenza.”
Between September and November 2024, DEA saw several traffickers deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars of suspected drug proceeds to the middleman in Norcross, who then transferred the cash to Chilel and Perez. Agents with the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) analyzed the MSB’s transactions and determined that the cash was wired to Mexico but was transferred in small increments so as not to raise suspicion by federal regulators. During a period of approximately two months, this ring of individuals allegedly laundered over $1 million in drug proceeds smuggled to Mexico.
During the investigation, the DEA identified several alleged traffickers who transported the drug proceeds to Norcross, including defendants David Miranda Vinalay, Jerome Lewis, and Irving Joel Hernandez. DEA identified one of the primary traffickers as being a member and/or associate of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (“CJNG”). Additionally, as alleged in the indictment, some of the traffickers also possessed methamphetamine and fentanyl that they intended to distribute on behalf of the drug trafficking ring.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Georgia State Patrol, Dekalb County, Georgia, Police Department, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Department, and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Member of a Violent National Gang Convicted of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering in DetroitRead the Press Release
DETROIT – After a week-long trial in federal court, a jury convicted Anthony Zigler, a member of the Almighty Vice Lords Nation of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VCAR), Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today.
Beck was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Evidence at trial proved the Almighty Vice Lords Nation (AVLN) was a sprawling criminal enterprise which committed acts of violence, drug dealing, and other crimes, across the country. The trial involved a member of the Conversative Vice Lord branch of the AVLN. The jury specifically found that Zigler committed a violent prison stabbing to maintain or increase his position within the gang. The evidence at trial showed that Zigler stabbed the victim fifteen times with a prison-made knife in the head, neck, and abdomen, puncturing his lungs. The jury convicted Zigler of VCAR. Zigler faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
“The thorough and dedicated work of attorneys in our office combined with the detailed investigation done by our ATF and DPD partners convinced a jury to find a violent and dangerous gang member guilty of serious crimes. With this conviction, our community is safer. Our district’s approach to violent crime investigations and prosecutions works,” Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck said.
“Yesterday’s verdict proves once again that the Almighty Vice Lord Nation has been crippled locally and nationally. Their dismantling is another example of how senseless violence is being dealt with in Detroit. Anthony Ziegler's willingness to partake in gang-ordered violence had far-reaching consequences. He now has a federal VCAR felony conviction on his extensive criminal pedigree and should be out of commission for a very long time. Violent acts in furtherance of a criminal organization will not be tolerated in Detroit or in our prisons and will immediately result in delayed freedom, because you’re not going anywhere but back to prison……for an extended period of time,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “The ATF and our federal, state and local partners will continue to target violent gang members wherever they operate, street or prison it makes no difference, if you're pushing violence for your crew, we're coming.”
This is the third trial in the Eastern District of Michigan in approximately a year and a half involving the Almighty Vice Lord Nation. In November 2023, three national leaders of the gang were convicted of RICO conspiracy and other crimes, and in April 2024, three gang members were convicted of RICO conspiracy and other crimes, and a fourth defendant was convicted of drug offenses, in federal court in Detroit.
Maryland Return Preparer Charged with Preparing False Tax Returns for ClientsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, returned an indictment, unsealed yesterday, charging a Maryland woman with preparing false tax returns for clients and failing to file her own tax returns.
According to the indictment, Zewdi Tsegay, of Burtonsville, ran a tax preparation business called Taxes R Us LLC, which later changed its named to Taxes 4 You LLC. The indictment alleges that from 2018 through 2024, Tsegay prepared and filed with the IRS false tax returns for clients. These returns allegedly included false business losses that benefited the client by claiming false refunds to which they were not entitled or decreasing their tax liability.
According to the indictment, the IRS conducted an undercover operation at Tsegay’s business in March 2020. Tsegay allegedly initially prepared the undercover agent’s tax return correctly, which reflected that the undercover agent owed taxes, and then added a fictitious business loss to the return, which resulted in the return improperly requesting a refund. The indictment further alleges that from 2021 to 2023, Tsegay was required to file tax returns for herself but did not do so.
If convicted, Tsegay faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each count of failing to file her own tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Catriona M. Coppler and Richard Kelley of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, 40, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the plea agreement, he conspired with unknown individuals, including John Doe, also known as William James, a foreign national living in Shenyang, China, to defraud U.S. companies into hiring Vong as a remote software developer. After securing these jobs through materially false statements about his education, training, and experience, Vong allowed Doe and others to use his computer access credentials to perform the remote software development work and receive payment for that work.
On Jan. 30, 2023, Doe submitted a fraudulent resume in Vong’s name to a Virginia-based technology company for the position of web application developer, which required U.S. citizenship as a condition of employment. The resume falsely represented that Vong had a Bachelor of Science degree and 16 years of experience as a software developer. In fact, Vong had no college degree or experience in software development.
On March 28, 2023, Vong participated in an online job interview with the CEO of the Virginia-based company and verified his identity and citizenship by showing his Maryland driver’s license and U.S. Passport. Following the interview, the Virginia-based company hired Vong and assigned him to work on a contract for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) involving a particular software application used by various U.S. government agencies to manage sensitive information regarding national defense matters. The Virginia-based company provided Vong with a laptop to use in connection with his employment, and the FAA authorized Vong to receive a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card to access government facilities and systems. Vong installed remote access software on the laptop to facilitate Doe’s access to it and conceal his location in China.
Between March 2023 and July 2023, Doe used Vong’s credentials to perform the software development work from his location in China. The Virginia-based company paid Vong more than $28,000 in wages for work performed by Doe, portions of which Vong then sent overseas to Doe and other conspirators.
As part of his guilty plea, Vong admitted that the Virginia-based company was not the only company he and his co-conspirators defrauded. Between 2021 and 2024, Vong used fraudulent misrepresentations to obtain employment with at least 13 different U.S. companies, who collectively paid Vong a total of more than $970,000 in salary for software development services that were, unbeknownst to them, performed by Doe and/or other overseas conspirators. Several of these defrauded companies contracted out Vong’s services to U.S. government agencies in addition to the FAA. As a result of Vong’s fraudulent misrepresentations, these government agencies unknowingly granted Vong’s co-conspirators access to sensitive U.S. government systems, which they accessed from China.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
“Mr. Vong put the United States and its citizens in harm’s way by plotting and engaging in this fraudulent scheme. His actions gave unauthorized people access to sensitive U.S. Government systems and national-defense matters,” Hayes said. “As this prosecution demonstrates, we work hard every day with our law-enforcement partners to ensure that we’re keeping our citizens and our nation safe.”“The FBI is warning about an increase in these fraud schemes affecting businesses and organizations around the world,” DelBagno said. “Criminals pose as software workers to illegally access networks, stealing data and sensitive information. Furthermore, the money criminals are paid for their ‘work’, often benefits foreign adversaries. The FBI strongly urges organizations to closely monitor their data, strengthen their remote hiring processes and report any suspicious activity or fraud to the FBI.”
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Additionally, Ms. Hayes thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina A. Hoffman who is prosecuting the case with valuable assistance from Alexandra Cooper-Ponte, National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. The U.S. Attorney and FBI Baltimore also thank the supporting federal and local law-enforcement partners that assisted with this case.
Under the Department-wide DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, Department prosecutors and agents are prioritizing the identification and shuttering of U.S.-based “laptop farms” – locations hosting laptops provided by victim U.S. companies to individuals they believed were legitimate U.S.-based freelance IT workers – and the investigation and prosecution of individuals hosting them. Today’s announcement follows successful actions taken by the Department in October 2023, May 2024, August 2024, December 2024, and January 2025, which targeted similar and related conduct.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, 40, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme whereby he conspired with unknown individuals, including John Doe, also known as William James, a foreign national living in Shenyang, China, to defraud U.S. companies into hiring Vong as a remote software developer. After securing these jobs through materially false statements about his education, training, and experience, Vong allowed Doe and others to use his computer access credentials to perform the remote software development work and receive payment for that work.
According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 30, 2023, Doe submitted a fraudulent resume in Vong’s name to a Virginia-based technology company for the position of web application developer, which required U.S. citizenship as a condition of employment. The resume falsely represented that Vong had a Bachelor of Science degree and 16 years of experience as a software developer. In fact, Vong had no college degree or experience in software development.
On March 28, 2023, Vong participated in an online job interview with the CEO of the Virginia-based company and verified his identity and citizenship by showing his Maryland driver’s license and U.S. passport. Following the interview, the Virginia-based company hired Vong and assigned him to work on a contract for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) involving a particular software application used by various U.S. government agencies to manage sensitive information regarding national defense matters. The Virginia-based company provided Vong with a laptop to use in connection with his employment, and the FAA authorized Vong to receive a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card to access government facilities and systems. Vong installed remote access software on the laptop to facilitate Doe’s access to it and conceal his location in China.
Between March 2023 and July 2023, Doe used Vong’s credentials to perform the software development work from his location in China. The Virginia-based company paid Vong more than $28,000 in wages for work performed by Doe, portions of which Vong then sent overseas to Doe and other conspirators.
As part of his guilty plea, Vong admitted that the Virginia-based company was not the only company he and his co-conspirators defrauded. Between 2021 and 2024, Vong used fraudulent misrepresentations to obtain employment with at least 13 different U.S. companies, who collectively paid Vong a total of more than $970,000 in salary for software development services that were, unbeknownst to them, performed by Doe and/or other overseas conspirators. Several of these defrauded companies contracted out Vong’s services to U.S. government agencies in addition to the FAA. As a result of Vong’s fraudulent misrepresentations, these government agencies unknowingly granted Vong’s co-conspirators access to sensitive U.S. government systems, which they accessed from China.
Vong faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman for the District of Maryland scheduled sentencing for Aug. 28. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina A. Hoffman for the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.
Under the Department-wide DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, Department prosecutors and agents are prioritizing the identification and shuttering of U.S.-based “laptop farms” – locations hosting laptops provided by victim U.S. companies to individuals they believed were legitimate U.S.-based freelance IT workers – and the investigation and prosecution of individuals hosting them. Today’s announcement follows successful actions taken by the Department in October 2023, May 2024, August 2024, December 2024, and January 2025, which targeted similar and related conduct.
Maryland Man Convicted of Failing to Pay Payroll TaxesRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Maryland man yesterday of 16 counts of failing to collect and pay over payroll taxes.
The following is according to court documents and evidence presented at trial: Brett Hill, of Parkton and Berlin, was the Chief Executive Officer of two telecommunications companies. As such, Hill was responsible for withholding federal income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the government. He was also responsible for filing tax returns each quarter and for paying over the companies’ share of Social Security and Medicare taxes. From the second quarter of 2016 through fourth quarter of 2018, Hill withheld taxes from his employees’ wages at one or both of his companies but did not file tax returns or pay those taxes over to the government. Hill did not pay over his companies’ share either. Instead of paying the taxes he withheld from his employees’ paychecks, Hill paid himself a salary and paid other expenses.
In total, Hill caused a tax loss to the United States of over $1 million.
Hill will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of failing to collect and pay over taxes. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Shawn T. Noud and Catriona M. Coppler of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Lorton man sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually exploiting children on SnapchatRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Lorton man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor girls as young as nine years old and enticing them to create and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves on Snapchat.
According to court documents, between at least May 1, 2021, and May 8, 2024, Jose Alejandro Belmonte Cardozo, 31, used Snapchat to find minor girls and entice them to send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Belmonte Cardozo created different Snapchat accounts depending on the scheme he used to obtain CSAM from the minors.
For example, Belmonte Cardozo used a particular account to catfish two 15-year-old girls, convincing them that he was a teenage boy. He sent the minors pictures that he claimed depicted him, but which actually depicted a boy who appeared to be approximately 16 years old. Belmonte Cardozo persuaded the minors to send him CSAM, which he surreptitiously recorded on a second cell phone to avoid the in-app notification. He then saved the recordings to a password-protected hidden folder on his cell phone.
Belmonte Cardozo used a second account to convince other minors to send him CSAM in exchange for admission to a phony group chat he purported to administer. Once Belmonte Cardozo obtained CSAM from the minors, he enticed them to send him additional images and videos.
Belmonte Cardozo amassed more than 1,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on five different electronic devices. On May 8, 2024, he transported two cellphones containing approximately 600 sexually explicit images and videos of minors, into the United States at Dulles International Airport.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Zoe Bedell prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-125.
Lewiston Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to unlawfully possessing a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order.
According to court records, in December 2023, deputies with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a disabled vehicle in New Gloucester. Deputies located the vehicle and were approached by William Noddin, 58, who said he was operating the vehicle when it got stuck. He also said he had two handguns in the vehicle’s trunk. At the time he possessed the firearms, he was subject to a domestic violence protective order and was prohibited from possessing firearms while the order was in effect.
Noddin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum supervised release term of three years. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
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Level 3 Sex Offender from Chicopee Arrested and Charged for Transferring Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chicopee man has been arrested and charged for transferring obscene material to a minor female victim who he believed to be 12 years old.
Carl Norton, Jr., 37, is charged with one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Norton was arrested on April 11, 2025 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 16, 2025.
According to the charging documents, from February through June 2024, Norton exchanged numerous Snapchat messages, images and videos with the minor victim. It is alleged that Norton sent the minor victim media files that depicted adult pornography many of which appeared to be self-produced. On multiple occasions, Norton allegedly asked the minor victim to send him nude photos and videos of herself. Norton also allegedly requested to meet the minor victim numerous times – offering to pay for her travel and arrange hotel rooms. Throughout the messages, Norton allegedly described in explicit detail the sexual acts the two would engage in upon meeting.
Norton is a Level 3 sex offender with prior convictions for attempted rape of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor.
The charge of transferring obscene material to a minor provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Barnico, Jr. of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Atlanta-Based Money Launderer IndictedRead the Press Release
Siblings Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga — also known as El Pez, Pescado, and Mojarra — and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga — also known as El Fresa, El Feyo, and La Fruta — both of Guerrero, Mexico, and co-leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) drug cartel, were charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl knowing those controlled substances would be imported into the United States, conspiracy to import those controlled substances into the United States, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute those controlled substances.
The indictments were returned in September 2024 and recently unsealed. Prior to his indictment, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga was designated as a Consolidated Priority Target (CPOT) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. Both Hurtado Olascoaga brothers are fugitives believed to be residing in Mexico. In addition, today the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions against Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga and their siblings, LNFM members Ubaldo Hurtado Olascoaga and Adita Hurtado Olascoaga. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State also announced the designation of LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Additionally, the Department of State announced a Narcotics Rewards Program offer of up to $5 million and $3 million, respectively, for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga.
Franco Tabares Martinez, 51, of Guerrero, Mexico, a high-ranking member of LNFM was charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and related substantive counts of drug trafficking. The indictment was unsealed against Franco Tabares Martinez on July 7, 2023, after which he was sanctioned by OFAC. On June 20, 2024, his brother Uriel Tabares-Martinez was also sanctioned by OFAC. Another brother, Pablo Tabares Martinez, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez — also known as Yosel Medrano Hernandez and Lupe — of Mableton, Georgia, has now been charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money services business, and related substantive counts. The indictment was returned on April 8 and recently unsealed.
“Today’s indictments and OFAC sanctions against high-ranking LNFM cartel members sends a clear message: if you contribute to the death of Americans by peddling poison into our communities, we will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“These cartel members are allegedly responsible for importing massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico to the Atlanta area and across the United States, and then wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from distributing those drugs back to Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia. “These federal indictments, in conjunction with the imposition of OFAC sanctions, send a strong message that we will tirelessly investigate, prosecute, and defund individuals around the globe who choose to import deadly drugs into, and risk the lives of the members of, our communities.”
“Today’s action underscores our commitment to intensify the pressure on violent drug cartels like LNFM, who continue to traffic deadly fentanyl and other drugs, smuggle illegal aliens over our Southwest border, and attack law enforcement,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to target the cartels and other violent organizations that attempt to exploit our communities and harm Americans.”
“President Trump has promised to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). “And today, working with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of State is delivering on that promise by offering rewards totaling up to $8 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the Hurtado brothers.”
“Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs and violence impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent indictments demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking organizations.”
“The indictment of senior leaders of this brutal Mexican cartel and subsequent OFAC sanctions makes one thing clear, we are coming after these criminal networks and utilizing every weapon in our arsenal,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Through aggressive interagency coordination, HSI and our law enforcement partners are not only seizing their drugs and arresting their members, but we are also cutting off their money, dismantling their infrastructure, and bringing their leaders to justice. This operation underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from violence and addiction.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie for the Northern District of Georgia, the indictments, and other information presented in court: In 2021, agents of the DEA and HSI began an investigation of LNFM cartel members importing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. As part of the investigation, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez as a then-high-ranking member of the LNFM cartel who allegedly distributed multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the metro Atlanta area.
In addition, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez’s sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, as an Atlanta-based money launderer allegedly helping her brother and other drug traffickers by picking up bulk currency and then using her money service business, Noyola Multiservice, to transmit those drug proceeds to drug trafficking associates in Mexico. Through the investigation, agents also identified Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga as the cartel’s co-founders and kingpins, who conspired with cartel members in Mexico and throughout the United States to import heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border for distribution in various cities and states, including Atlanta.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and HSI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Bethany Rupert for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case against the Hurtado Olascoaga brothers, Franco Tabares Martinez and Guadalupe Tabares Martinez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrison for the Middle District of Georgia provided valuable contributions to the investigation of Guadalupe Tabares Martinez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (the Strike Force) is to degrade and dismantle major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations (DTMLOs) in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), Regional Priority Organization Targets (RPOTs), and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS; as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Atlanta-Based Money Launderer IndictedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Siblings Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, also known as “El Pez,” “Pescado,” and “Mojarra,” 52, and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, also known as “El Fresa,” “El Feyo,” and “La Fruta,” 41, both of Guerrero, Mexico, and co-leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) drug cartel, were charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl knowing those controlled substances would be imported into the United States, conspiracy to import those controlled substances into the United States, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute those controlled substances.
The indictments were returned in September 2024 and recently unsealed. Prior to his indictment, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga was designated as a Consolidated Priority Target (“CPOT”) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) program. Both Hurtado Olascoaga brothers are fugitives believed to be residing in Mexico. In addition, today the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced new sanctions against Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga and their siblings, LNFM members Ubaldo Hurtado Olascoaga and Adita Hurtado Olascoaga. On February 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State also announced the designation of LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (“SDGT”). Additionally, the Department of State announced a Narcotics Rewards Program offer of up to $5 million and $3 million, respectively, for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga.
Franco Tabares Martinez, 51, of Guerrero, Mexico, a high-ranking member of LNFM was charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and related substantive counts of drug trafficking. The indictment was unsealed against Franco Tabares Martinez on July 7, 2023, after which he was sanctioned by OFAC. On June 20, 2024, his brother Uriel Tabares-Martinez was also sanctioned by OFAC. Another brother, Pablo Tabares Martinez, pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025, to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, also known as “Yosel Medrano Hernandez” and “Lupe,” 48, of Mableton, Georgia, has now been charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money services business, and related substantive counts. The indictment was returned on April 8, 2025, and recently unsealed.
“Today’s indictments and OFAC sanctions against high-ranking LNFM cartel members sends a clear message: if you contribute to the death of Americans by peddling poison into our communities, we will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“These cartel members are allegedly responsible for importing massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico to the Atlanta area and across the United States, and then wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from distributing those drugs back to Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “These federal indictments, in conjunction with the imposition of OFAC sanctions, send a strong message that we will tirelessly investigate, prosecute, and defund individuals around the globe who choose to import deadly drugs into, and risk the lives of the members of, our communities.”
“Today’s action underscores our commitment to intensify the pressure on violent drug cartels like LNFM, who continue to traffic deadly fentanyl and other drugs, smuggle illegal aliens over our Southwest border, and attack law enforcement,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to target the cartels and other violent organizations that attempt to exploit our communities and harm Americans.”
“President Trump has promised to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). “And today, working with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of State is delivering on that promise by offering rewards totaling up to $8 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the Hurtado brothers.”
“Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs and violence impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent indictments demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking organizations.”
“The indictment of senior leaders of this brutal Mexican cartel and subsequent OFAC sanctions makes one thing clear, we are coming after these criminal networks and utilizing every weapon in our arsenal,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Through aggressive interagency coordination, HSI and our law enforcement partners are not only seizing their drugs and arresting their members, but we are also cutting off their money, dismantling their infrastructure, and bringing their leaders to justice. This operation underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from violence and addiction.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the indictments, and other information presented in court: In 2021, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) began an investigation of LNFM cartel members importing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. As part of the investigation, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez as a then-high-ranking member of the LNFM cartel who allegedly distributed multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the metro Atlanta area.
In addition, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez’s sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, as an Atlanta-based money laundering allegedly helping her brother and other drug traffickers by picking up bulk currency and then using her money service business, Noyola Multiservice, to transmit those drug proceeds to drug trafficking associates in Mexico. Through the investigation, agents also identified Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga as the cartel’s co-founders and kingpins, who conspired with cartel members in Mexico and throughout the United States to import heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl across the U.S./Mexico border for distribution in various cities and states, including Atlanta, Georgia.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Bethany Rupert are prosecuting the case againstthe Hurtado Olascoaga brothers, Franco Tabares Martinez and Guadalupe Tabares Martinez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrison with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia provided valuable contributions to the investigation of Guadalupe Tabares Martinez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (the Strike Force) is to degrade and dismantle major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations (DTMLOs) in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), Regional Priority Organization Targets (RPOTs), and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS; as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia recommends that parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov; www.operationprevention.com/; and www.dea.gov/onepill.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Las Vegas Woman Sentenced to Prison for Destroying Mail Boxes and Stealing Mail from Post OfficesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to 15 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for damaging post office boxes and stealing mail on 17 different occasions.
According to court documents, between June 20, 2023 and September 4, 2024, Amanda Gonzalez-Valerio would bring a pry bar into a post office, break open locked post office boxes, and steal mail from the boxes. In total, she stole mail belonging to more than 10 people.
Additionally, on September 10, 2023, Gonzalez-Valerio entered a post office and broke into a box which was rented by a Las Vegas casino. She took a winning betting ticket belonging to a victim who had recently won a parlay bet and mailed his winning ticket back to the casino. Two days later, Gonzalez-Valerio cashed the victim’s winning ticket and received $3,377.60 in stolen money.
In January 2025, Gonzalez-Valerio pleaded guilty to one count of theft or receipt of mail matter and one count of destruction of letter boxes or mail.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin Washburne prosecuted the case.
Report suspected mail theft, and other mail-related crimes, tips or incidents by calling the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.
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Kansas City Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from EmployerRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman plead guilty in federal court today to a fraud scheme in which she embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer.
Jennifer L. Cabral, 51, plead guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana Counts to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering.
By pleading guilty today, Cabral admitted that she stole approximately $306,034.28 from her employer’s bank account and used those funds for her personal benefit and use. As part of the scheme, Cabral accessed her employer’s accounting software and directed payments to her own personal bank accounts through the employer’s online account at a local financial institution. Cabral used those funds for various personal benefits including vehicle payments toward the purchase of her car, which was forfeited as part of the plea agreement.
Under federal statutes, Cabral is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole on the bank fraud count and up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Grandview, Mo. Police Department.
Justice Department Continues Efforts to Stop Unlawful Tax Return PreparersRead the Press Release
Today, the federal tax filing deadline, the Justice Department’s Tax Division acknowledges the majority of taxpayers and tax return preparers who voluntarily meet their yearly filing obligations. The Tax Division also cautions taxpayers to choose their return preparers carefully and to look out for unscrupulous preparers who make promises of tax reductions not based on legitimate positions and who include errors or false information on tax returns that could leave a taxpayer subject to liability for unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest.
Over the last year, the Tax Division has worked with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country to bring civil and criminal actions against dishonest tax preparers. These actions include criminal indictments and prison sentences when appropriate as well as civil injunctions to stop ongoing fraud, civil penalties, and disgorgement of ill-gotten proceeds when appropriate. The Justice Department’s message has been clear: those who prepare fraudulent returns will face serious and lasting consequences.
Examples of civil injunctions obtained by the Tax Division over the last and current filing seasons include:
- On Oct. 28, 2024, a federal district court in the Southern District of Indiana permanently enjoined Juan Santiago and his tax preparation business, Madison Solutions LLC, from preparing tax returns for others or employing any person acting as a federal tax return preparer. The government’s complaint alleged that Santiago and his business engaged in fraudulent filing schemes by improperly claiming Head of Household filing status, the Child Tax Credit, and business deductions to which their clients were not entitled. The government estimated that these false returns cost the government over $1 million each filing season.
- On Oct. 3, 2024, a federal district court in the Southern District of Florida entered a permanent injunction against George and Luis Brito and their business, Brito and Brito Accounting USA Inc. The injunction prohibits them from preparing tax returns for others. The government’s complaint alleged that since 2019, the Britos had prepared thousands of tax returns annually, and that they prepared returns that understated their clients’ income by claiming false or inflated business expenses and fabricating residential energy credits.
- On March 29, 2024, following a 12-day trial, a federal district court in the Eastern District of Michigan permanently enjoined Annetta Powell and seven of her businesses from preparing tax returns for others. The court found that Powell and her businesses prepared returns that reported fake Schedule C businesses and business expenses, claimed household help income they knew the customers did not qualify for, and claimed head of household filing status without doing the required due diligence. The court also ordered Powell to disgorge $697,797 in ill-gotten profits.
The Tax Division has also sought to strip fraudulent preparers of ill-gotten gains and to hold in contempt those who attempt to flout court-ordered restraints on further fraudulent activity. Over the last year, the division has brought these cases to court, including:
- On Oct. 24, 2024, a federal district court in the Northern District of Texas held that Jennifer Murley violated a previous injunction against returning tax returns for others. The IRS had suspended Murley’s Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN), but she and her tax preparation firm misappropriated EFINs assigned to others. The court ordered Murley to disgorge over $700,000 in ill-gotten gains she received for preparing returns in violation of the previous court order.
- On Oct. 23, 2024, a federal district court in the Southern District of Florida found Gerald Vito and James Eleby in contempt for violating a previous injunction from 2021 that enjoined them from preparing tax returns for others. Vito and Eleby worked with Kwame Thomas to continue to file returns after being barred from doing so, and the court ordered them to disgorge a total of $988,789.56 in ill-gotten and to notify their clients of the injunction or face possible incarceration.
Criminal indictments and convictions against fraudulent preparers obtained by the Tax Division since the 2024 filing season include the following :
- Thierry Musese, who ran a return preparation business from his barbershop located in Auburn, Maine, was charged with preparing false returns and generating fraudulent refunds for clients by including bogus business losses, fuel and residential energy credits. Musese also allegedly defrauded his clients by diverting a portion of their tax refund to himself without their permission. If convicted Musese faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of preparing a false tax return and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud.
- John Borgela, a Florida return preparer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to file hundreds of false tax returns for clients from his business, Empire Tax services. Borgela typically inflated tax withholdings and reported fictitious itemized deductions to reduce his clients’ tax liability or to generate refunds. He concealed his involvement in the fraud by not including his name as the person who prepared the return on his clients’ tax returns.
- Vervia Watts, a return preparer in Illinois, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for preparing and filing false returns for clients. Watts prepared over 900 fraudulent income tax returns for her clients, reporting false education expenses and business income to obtain larger refunds from the IRS. She caused a tax loss to the United States of approximately $1.3 million.
- On April 17, 2024, Jonathan Barefoot, a Mississippi return preparer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for preparing false tax returns for clients. Barefoot conspired with others to claim inflated tax refunds for clients by reporting false education credits, itemized deductions, and business losses. He and his co-conspirators caused a loss to the United States of approximately $3.5 million.
The Tax Division reminds taxpayers that the IRS has information, tips, and reminders on its site for choosing a tax preparer carefully (Choosing a Tax Professional and How to Choose a Tax Return Preparer) and has launched a free directory of credentialed federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers taxpayers tips to protect their identities and wallets when filing their taxes.
In addition, IRS Free File, a public-private partnership, offers free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner websites for individuals whose adjusted gross income is under $79,000. For individuals whose income is over that threshold, IRS Free File offers electronic federal tax forms that can be filled out and filed online for free. The IRS has tips on how seniors and individuals with low to moderate income can get other help or guidance on tax return preparation, too.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained civil injunctions and criminal convictions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Jury Convicts Dominican National for Attempting to Import at Least Five Kilograms of Cocaine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Santo Tavarez Mateo (43), a Dominican national, guilty of attempting to import cocaine into the United States. Tavarez Mateo faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to testimony and evidence presented during the three-day trial, Colombian National Police officers investigated a package at the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla, Colombia, before an airline transported the cargo from Barranquilla to Miami, and then on to Amsterdam. During the inspection, Colombian National Police officials found various food products in the cargo, including coconut cream, quinoa powder, and granulated quinoa. The cargo also contained cocaine mixed in with some of the food products, as a Colombian National Police chemist later confirmed. Colombian National Police officials seized the cargo and learned that it was shipped by a company that belonged to Tavarez Mateo. Tavarez Mateo operated this company, Industria Derividos del Coco S.A.S., under the alias “Aristides Castillo Castillo,” and using a fake Colombian identity. Tavarez Mateo later admitted to a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent that he had shipped the drug-laden cargo and that he did so under this false identity.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Colombian National Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Buchanan and Lauren Stoia.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over Three Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Jackson man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Devontae Stamps, 31, of was found by Jackson Police Department officers to be in possession of a firearm after responding to a complaint by a property owners that Stamps would not leave his property. Stamps has prior felony convictions. In 2012 he was convicted of burglary. He was 18 at the time. In 2013 he was convicted of armed robbery. He was 19 at the time. As a convicted felon he is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Stamps was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 9, 2024. He pled guilty on January 8, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI and Jackson Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Independence, MO Man Sentenced for $1.4 Million COVID-19 SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for filing a false claim as part of a scheme to fraudulently receive nearly $1.4 million in COVID-19 relief funds from the government.
Richard Dean Schiele, Jr., 51, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to a year and a day imprisonment and ordered to pay $130,125.09 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES” Act) provided for an Employee Retention Credit designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The Employee Retention Credit is available to eligible employers that paid qualified wages to some or all employees after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2022.
In his guilty plea, Schiele admitted he filed nine Employer’s Quarterly Tax Return forms with the IRS on April 22, 2023, for a company he formed the same month called Schiele Family Own Distribution. The returns made a total of $1,392,716 in claims for COVID–19 pandemic era credits against the company’s ostensible employment taxes. In reality, Schiele admitted, the company did not have any employees in 2020 through 2022.
Based on these false claims, the IRS issued checks totaling $478,890 to Schiele. The Treasury Department recovered $348,764.91 from Schiele’s bank account. Under the terms of today’s sentence, Schiele must pay $130,125 in restitution to the IRS.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Illinois Man Sentenced for Opioid DiversionRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Nauvoo, Illinois man was sentenced today for diverting opioids from a healthcare facility where he was employed as a pharmacist.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Josef Andres Blunier, 47, between at least July 2022 and July 2023, obtained prescription pills from a Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center hospital while working as a pharmacist. To obtain the pills, Blunier would order and not report the pills in the pharmacy’s inventory, misrepresent the destination of inventory, and take out-of-date pills instead of disposing them. In total, Blunier diverted 10,592 Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydromorphone, morphine, and hydrocodone. In 2023, Blunier also obtained part-time employment at another Iowa pharmacy and diverted Schedule II controlled substances by taking them from filled patient prescriptions.
Blunier received a three-year term of probation. Blunier was also ordered to pay $5,311.61 in restitution, a fine of $5250, and a $200 special assessment.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Honduras Man Charged with Illegal Re-entry into U.S.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Honduras has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Julian Alberto Rios-Andasol, 31, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment, on August 17, 2024, Rios-Andasol was found in western Pennsylvania after having been removed from the United States on or about May 30, 2019.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Helena real estate agent convicted of felony and fined $150,000 for failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures for veterans residing in Fort Harrison rental housingRead the Press Release
HELENA – A Helena real estate agent and property manager who admitted to failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures as required to veterans residing in housing at Fort Harrison, in Helena, which resulted in the exposure of veterans and their families to significant levels of lead, was sentenced yesterday to three years of felony probation and fined $150,000, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, of Clancy, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one felony count of knowing endangerment.
Mold Wranglers, Inc., a Kalispell-based company that provides hazardous material mitigation services was also sentenced yesterday to two years of probation, a $50,000 fine, and $348,000 in restitution to be paid to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for filing false reports for payment to a federal agency, claiming an abatement of lead paint was done at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison when it was not. The company pleaded guilty to one count of False Claims Act Conspiracy in November 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.
“We take seriously the obligation to ensure the safety of our veterans and their families and will continue to work with our agency partners to hold accountable individuals like Melanie Carlin and businesses like Mold Wranglers who cut corners and jeopardize their safety in order to turn a profit. I want to thank AUSA Ryan Weldon for his work on this case, as well as the investigators from HUD, the VA, and the EPA,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.
“Providing safe and affordable housing for low-income veterans and their families is something that should be taken with the upmost care,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Staci Gurin of the EPA Office of Inspector General. “Instead of taking the proper steps as required by law to ensure that the lead remediation process was handled properly for the housing, the fraudulent actions of these defendants exposed our veterans and their children to significant levels of lead. The EPA-OIG will actively pursue those who commit fraud against our EPA Programs that are in place to protect human health and the environment.”
“Melanie Carlin engaged in dangerous behavior by failing to provide lead-based paint disclosures for housing units which resulted in low-income veteran families and their children unknowingly being exposed to significant levels of lead,” said Special Agent in Charge Machelle Jindra with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our prosecutorial, law enforcement, and oversight partners to aggressively pursue individuals who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs and our most vulnerable community members.”
“The VA OIG is dedicated to ensuring that veterans and their families receive VA services in a safe environment,” said Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “This sentencing reinforces that those who do not uphold safety and integrity standards will be held accountable.”
“The defendant placed our military veterans and their children in danger by callously disregarding reporting and disclosure requirements for lead-based paint in rental properties. Lead poisoning can have catastrophic effects on young children and pregnant women,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Catherine Holston for EPA’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Today’s sentence sends a message that the agency will hold accountable anyone who places our military veterans and their children in harm’s way by violating our environmental laws.”
The government alleged in court documents that from September 2019 until September 2021, Carlin failed to provide lead-based paint disclosures as required, placing an individual in imminent danger of death and serious bodily injury and exposing low-income veteran families and their children at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison to significant levels of lead.
Carlin is the owner of 406 Properties, Inc, a property management service in Helena, and has more than 26 years of professional real estate experience. In 2018, Carlin agreed to provide property management services for rental units known as Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison. The rentals included multiple homes for military veterans to use as affordable housing. In May 2019, Carlin received and forwarded an email from the Montana Department of Commerce requesting information detailing any lead-based paint remediation completed on the homes because the buildings were constructed before 1978. The buildings were constructed in approximately 1895 and 1905.
Despite the email, in June 2019, Carlin signed two Request for Tenancy Approval Forms for the Fort Harrison rentals. Carlin selected “lead-based paint disclosures do not apply because this property was built on or after January 1, 1978” on the form. Carlin knew the selections were false and did not provide lead-based paint disclosures to veterans seeking residence at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison.
In September 2019, Carlin attended a meeting to discuss lead-based paint that was peeling at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison. The meeting agenda identified “lead-based paint peeling in the units – doors won’t shut, paint peels when attempt to shut door” and veterans have identified “chipped paint” in the units. At this point, Carlin knew the buildings were built prior to 1978, and she knew deteriorating lead-based paint was located inside the buildings.
Despite Carlin’s knowledge and extensive real estate experience, she continued to sign forms indicating that the units were free of lead-based paint, or they were built after 1978, none of which was true. In addition, Carlin continued to fail to provide lead-based paint disclosures to the veterans and their families residing in the units.
The government further alleged that in December 2020, Carlin failed to provide a lead-based paint disclosure to a veteran of Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison. In September 2021, an 18-month-old child in the veteran’s home was found eating paint chips inside the unit. Subsequent medical testing confirmed the child had elevated blood lead levels exceeding levels considered to be “very high” and required treatment for lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can have catastrophic effects on children and their development, and Congress requires a warning about the effects of lead poisoning be given when individuals lease homes built prior to 1978.
When interviewed by federal agents, Carlin agreed she was familiar with the requirement to provide lead disclosures and confirmed that no lead disclosures were provided to veterans living in units at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison. A review of the rental units confirmed lead was present in almost every unit, including the building where the 18-month-old child was present. A subsequent property management company corrected the omission by making lead disclosures to the veterans.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.
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Guilty Verdict Handed Down for July 2024 Carjacking of a Delivery DriverRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Devonte Carter, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of carjacking for an offense that took place on a Southeast Washington street corner in July of 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel scheduled sentencing for July 11, 2025. Carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years in prison. Carter also faces a statutory minimum term of 15 years of incarceration because he was previously convicted of two crimes of violence.
According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of July 10, 2024, the complainant was working as a DoorDash food delivery driver. At approximately 7:25 pm, the complainant, who was driving a motorized scooter, approached the intersection of Cedar and 14th Streets SE. The complainant pulled over to the side of the road to check something on his scooter. At that point, a black car stopped next to the complainant. An unknown suspect opened the back passenger side door and pointed a gun at the complainant. Then Carter came out from the back driver’s side door, went around the back of the car, and ripped the complainant off the scooter. The defendant also took the scooter’s key fob.
Thereafter, the defendant drove to a public housing complex located at the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE, where the defendant and others in the area took the scooter for joyrides. An air tag on the scooter led Metropolitan Police Department officers to the housing complex, where the scooter was recovered. The defendant ran from the complex as police began to canvass the area. DNA analysis also linked the defendant to the scooter.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office. Finally, the U.S. Attorney commended Assistant United States Attorneys Caelainn Carney and Michael C. Lee for their work in prosecuting this case.
Glasgow Kentucky Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A Glasgow, Kentucky man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, and Chief Guy Howie of the Glasgow Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Christopher Michael Marsh, 38, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography. Between September 2021 and January 1, 2022, Marsh recorded himself engaged in sexual abuse of an infant, and on January 1, 2022, he distributed the recorded child sexual abuse material.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by HSI Bowling Green and the Glasgow Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, and Jo E. Lawless, of the Louisville Office, prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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Gambian Man Convicted on Torture ChargesRead the Press Release
DENVER — A Colorado jury convicted a Gambian national, Michael Sang Correa, on torture charges for his participation in the torture of numerous victims in The Gambia in 2006, including through beating and flesh burning, because of the victims’ purported involvement in a plot against The Gambia’s then-President, Yahya Jammeh.
“Michael Sang Correa tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the United States and hiding his past,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “But we found him, we investigated him, and we prosecuted him. The lesson is: if you commit violent crimes—let alone torture or other human rights violations—do not come to the United States. If you do, the Department of Justice, together with its law enforcement partners, will leave no stone unturned to see that your crimes are exposed and justice is served. I thank the jurors for their service and the witnesses for the courage to relive the horror they experienced at Correa’s hands.”
“The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado. “Today’s verdict shows you can’t get away with coming to Colorado to hide from your past crimes. The jurors are to be commended for their service throughout this trial and the witnesses for traveling so far to serve the interests of justice.”
“Correa’s crimes caught up with him today,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Denver, who oversees HSI operations in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. “Correa chose the wrong country to try to escape from justice. HSI actively investigates and apprehends human rights violators who run from their criminal pasts and come here. We have a zero-tolerance policy for human rights violators.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Michael Sang Correa, 46, served in an armed unit known as the “Junglers,” which answered to The Gambia’s then-President, Yahya Jammeh. The jury found that, as a Jungler, Correa conspired with others to commit torture. The jury also found that, together with others, he tortured five victims. The evidence at trial showed that Correa and his co-conspirators targeted these victims based on suspicions that they plotted against Jammeh.
The evidence at trial proved that in March 2006, shortly after a failed coup attempt, Correa and his co-conspirators transported the victims to the main prison of The Gambia, known as “Mile 2 Prison.” For the rest of the month of March and well into April 2006, Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned, and electrocuted the victims. A victim testified that he had his thigh burned by hot, molten plastic; the Junglers also placed the victim in a large bag, suspended him in the air, and dropped him to the ground. Another victim testified that he was suffocated when Correa and his co-conspirators placed a plastic bag over his head; one of Correa’s co-conspirators also put the barrel of a pistol in his mouth. In addition to suffocation from a plastic bag over the head, another victim testified he was electrocuted on his body, including his genitals; hanged upside down and beaten in that position; and stabbed in the shoulder. A fourth victim endured electrocution and was hit in the head with a pistol. A fifth victim’s testimony indicated that he had cigarettes extinguished into his skin and experienced electrocution and was also struck in the face with a hammer. These and other horrific acts of torture and abuse emerged in the testimony of the victims at trial and revealed that Correa played an integral role in inflicting this torture on the victims.
Ten years after these crimes, Correa obtained a visa to enter the United States, arriving in this country in December 2016. Correa escaped apprehension until 2019, and upon his arrest by ICE that year he was placed in removal proceedings. He was charged with torture in 2020. This is the first conviction of a non-U.S. citizen on torture charges in a federal district court.
Correa faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture. He will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by the Court. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The HSI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with support from HSI agents in Senegal, as well as personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia, and the FBI Legal Attaché in Senegal. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) significantly supported the case. Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.
Acting Principal Deputy Chief Christina Giffin and Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Hindman and Laura Cramer-Babycz for the District of Colorado prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Case Number: 20-cr-148-CMA
Gambian Man Convicted on Torture ChargesRead the Press Release
A Colorado jury convicted a Gambian national, Michael Sang Correa, on torture charges for his participation in the torture of numerous victims in The Gambia in 2006, including through beating and flesh burning, because of the victims’ purported involvement in a plot against The Gambia’s then-President, Yahya Jammeh.
“Michael Sang Correa tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the United States and hiding his past,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “But we found him, we investigated him, and we prosecuted him. The lesson is: if you commit violent crimes—let alone torture or other human rights violations—do not come to the United States. If you do, the Department of Justice, together with its law enforcement partners, will leave no stone unturned to see that your crimes are exposed and justice is served. I thank the jurors for their service and the witnesses for the courage to relive the horror they experienced at Correa’s hands.”
“The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado. “Today’s verdict shows you can’t get away with coming to Colorado to hide from your past crimes. The jurors are to be commended for their service throughout this trial and the witnesses for traveling so far to serve the interests of justice.”
“Correa’s crimes caught up with him today,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Denver, who oversees HSI operations in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. “Correa chose the wrong country to try to escape from justice. HSI actively investigates and apprehends human rights violators who run from their criminal pasts and come here. We have a zero-tolerance policy for human rights violators.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Michael Sang Correa, 46, served in an armed unit known as the “Junglers,” which answered to The Gambia’s then-President, Yahya Jammeh. The jury found that, as a Jungler, Correa conspired with others to commit torture. The jury also found that, together with others, he tortured five victims. The evidence at trial showed that Correa and his co-conspirators targeted these victims based on suspicions that they plotted against Jammeh.
The evidence at trial proved that in March 2006, shortly after a failed coup attempt, Correa and his co-conspirators transported the victims to the main prison of The Gambia, known as “Mile 2 Prison.” For the rest of the month of March and well into April 2006, Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned, and electrocuted the victims. A victim testified that he had his thigh burned by hot, molten plastic; the Junglers also placed the victim in a large bag, suspended him in the air, and dropped him to the ground. Another victim testified that he was suffocated when Correa and his co-conspirators placed a plastic bag over his head; one of Correa’s co-conspirators also put the barrel of a pistol in his mouth. In addition to suffocation from a plastic bag over the head, another victim testified he was electrocuted on his body, including his genitals; hanged upside down and beaten in that position; and stabbed in the shoulder. A fourth victim endured electrocution and was hit in the head with a pistol. A fifth victim’s testimony indicated that he had cigarettes extinguished into his skin and experienced electrocution and was also struck in the face with a hammer. These and other horrific acts of torture and abuse emerged in the testimony of the victims at trial and revealed that Correa played an integral role in inflicting this torture on the victims.
Ten years after these crimes, Correa obtained a visa to enter the United States, arriving in this country in December 2016. Correa escaped apprehension until 2019, and upon his arrest by ICE that year he was placed in removal proceedings. He was charged with torture in 2020. This is the first conviction of a non-U.S. citizen on torture charges in a federal district court.
Correa faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture. He will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by the Court. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The HSI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with support from HSI agents in Senegal, as well as personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia, and the FBI Legal Attaché in Senegal. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) significantly supported the case. Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.
Acting Principal Deputy Chief Christina Giffin and Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Hindman and Laura Cramer-Babycz for the District of Colorado prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Fourth Member of Alleged Chicago Robbery Crew Ordered Detained in Federal Custody Pending TrialRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The fourth member of a robbery crew allegedly responsible for violently robbing multiple liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago has been ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.
XAVIER HARRIS, 26, of Chicago, conspired with his brother and two others to rob or attempt to rob more than a dozen Chicago businesses in 2023 and 2024, according to charges unsealed last month in U.S. District Court in Chicago. In three of the robberies, Xavier Harris brandished a gun and pistol-whipped victims, including the cashier of a liquor store in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, according to a government memorandum filed in support of Xavier Harris’s detention.
Xavier Harris was arrested last month. Over the government’s objection, a federal Magistrate Judge ordered him released on an unsecured $10,000 appearance bond and location monitoring. The U.S. Attorney’s Office appealed the release to U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood, who on Monday ordered Xavier Harris to remain detained without bond pending trial.
The three other defendants – Xavier Harris’s brother, ARDARIES HARRIS, 27, of Chicago, JORDAN FOX, 25, of Chicago, and ROOSEVELT VEAL, 27, of Rockford, Ill. – were previously ordered detained without bond while they await trial. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, robbery, attempted robbery, and firearm charges. The maximum sentence for each of the defendants is life in federal prison. Ardaries Harris, Fox, and Veal each face mandatory minimum sentences of thirty years, while Xavier Harris faces a mandatory minimum of 21 years.
A full list of the 15 robberies and attempted robberies can be found here.
The detention order was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, the Illinois State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service’s Great Lakes Regional Task Force.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The case was also conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago (CGIC), a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois.
“The nature and circumstances of these serious offenses and the weight of the evidence demonstrate the danger posed to the community by Xavier Harris if he is released,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily C.R. Vermylen and Stephanie Stern argued in the government’s detention memorandum. “Xavier Harris committed these robberies with absolutely no regard for human life or human safety.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former State Trooper Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Falsify CDL Test ScoresRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) trooper pleaded guilty on Friday, April 11th, to his role in an alleged conspiracy to falsify records by giving passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants, including individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test as required by federal law.
Perry Mendes, 64, of Wareham, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2025. In January 2024, Mendes was charged in a 74-count indictment along with five others in the alleged conspiracy and related schemes.
Members of MSP’s CDL Unit were responsible for administering CDL skills tests. Test requirements for CDLs are established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The CDL skills test is a demanding, in-person test that consists of three segments: Vehicle Inspection, in which an applicant is tested on their knowledge of the vehicle; Basic Control Skills, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to perform certain maneuvers; and the Road Test, in which an applicant is tested on their ability to drive a commercial vehicle on an open roadway. Only drivers who have passed the test and thereby proved they are capable and qualified to drive a commercial vehicle may be issued a CDL, with the primary goal of public safety.
According to the charging document, between in on or about May 2019 and January 2023, Mendes and others conspired to give automatic passing scores to at least 17 CDL applicants on their skills tests regardless of whether they actually passed, using the code word “golden handshake” or “golden,” for short, to identify applicants who would receive special treatment.
At the plea hearing on Friday, Mendes admitted to his role in the alleged conspiracy, including that he cut skills tests short for “golden” applicants; that he entered false information on CDL score sheets indicating that certain applicants had passed the skills test when they had not; and that he reported passing scores for applicants he knew had never taken the skills test.
On April 7, 2025, former Trooper Calvin Butner pleaded guilty for his role in the charged offenses, and on March 21, 2025, civilian co-defendant Eric Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.
The charge of conspiracy to commit extortion provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
- Former New York Councilman Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
Former Naval Undersea Warfare Center Employee Charged with Making ThreatsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A former employee of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Middletown, Rhode Island, appeared in U.S. District Court in Providence today charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
As reflected in a criminal complaint unsealed today, it is alleged that between July 2022 and February 2023, Luis Sanchez Pardella, 38, of Newport, made numerous menacing, and at times threatening, telephone calls to at least eight of his former colleagues at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. In one such instance, it is alleged that Pardella left a voicemail stating, “I will kill you and your wife when I see you on the street.”
It is further alleged that between December 2022 and February 2023, Pardella made multiple threatening telephone calls to the Portsmouth, RI, Police Department, stating that an officer and his wife “will be going to jail,” that “the Portsmouth Police Department is corrupt,” and “write down (name of officer’s wife) is dead write down. The wife of one of your cops is dead. Do you know who (name redacted) is? Write down she is dead.”
Pardella appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge today and was released with GPS monitoring and ordered to have no contact with any of the identified victims.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department, Middletown Police Department, Newport Police Department, Providence Police Department, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.
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Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Medicare of $3.3 MillionRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Florida woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord in connection with her role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare of $3.3 million, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Yolanda Dupont, 38, of New Port Richey, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2025.
According to court documents, Dupont and her co-conspirators owned and operated Allstar Medical Supply Corp., a purported durable medical equipment business in New Hampshire selling orthotic braces. As part of the conspiracy, Dupont served as the nominee owner of the business to conceal the identities of the true owners. Dupont certified that neither she nor Allstar would not submit false claims to Medicare. However, during the conspiracy, Dupont and her co-conspirators submitted, or caused the submission of, approximately $3.3 million in false and fraudulent claims for orthotic braces to Medicare. Medicare paid at least $1.6 million to Dupont and her co-conspirators for these claims. Ultimately, Medicare beneficiaries received orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, and often not wanted or needed.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Ward is prosecuting the case.
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Fentanyl distributor gets 13 years in prisonRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas – A 46-year-old Texas City resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
John Earl Edwards pleaded guilty Sept. 24, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now ordered Edwards to serve 156 months to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
“Taking fentanyl off the street is good, but taking a fentanyl dealer off the street is even better,” said Ganjei. “This is one less person who makes their living off of the misery of their fellow citizens.”
On July 22, 2021, Edwards negotiated the sale of a small amount of fentanyl and arranged to have it delivered on July 22, 2021.
The investigation revealed Edwards’ drug distribution also included cocaine, cocaine base and methamphetamine.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Force and the La Marque Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Cusick prosecuted the case.
Fentanyl and Firearms Trafficker Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 11, 2025, Azjuan Meriwether (age: 25) of Milwaukee, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug and firearm offenses.
According to court records, a proactive law enforcement investigation revealed that Meriwether was the leader of an armed drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing at least 32 kilograms of fentanyl, at least 375 grams of para-fluorofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue), as well as methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs. Meriwether and his organization also engaged in firearms trafficking involving the illegal sale of firearms, machinegun-conversion devices, also known as “switches,” and “ghost guns.” “Ghost guns” are privately made firearms, often assembled from pre-made kits, that do not possess serial numbers or other identifying markings, which make the firearms difficult to trace back to the original purchaser and manufacturer. As part of his plea agreement, Meriwether agreed that he personally and illegally sold 18 firearms and 6 “switches.” Below is a photograph from the court record of firearms recovered as a result of this investigation.
As a result of the investigation, Meriwether was arrested in Indiana. Before his arrest, Meriwether led officers on a high-speed chase that lasted approximately 2 hours and involved Meriwether driving his vehicle the wrong way on a highway, endangering civilians and officers. Law enforcement ultimately recovered approximately 375 grams of para-fluorofentanyl combined with heroin, approximately 165 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately 29 grams of cocaine from Meriwether’s vehicle.
“The conduct at issue in this case presented layer upon layer of danger to the community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “This individual and his organization not only distributed dangerous – potentially lethal -- controlled substances but also further endangered others through the sale of switches and ghost guns. The sentence imposed in this case is the direct result of strong partnerships among federal and local agencies, supported by the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA). I commend the agents, task force officers, and support personnel who worked tirelessly to build this investigation and hold Mr. Meriwether accountable for his actions.”
“Meriwether’s possession and sale of fentanyl and Machine Gun Conversion Devices posed a dual threat to our communities,” stated Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Amon. “Through the use of NIBIN and collaborations like those seen in the Waukesha County Drug Task Force, law enforcement was able to link firearms possessed by Meriwether to violent acts.
Taking him off the streets helps stop the flow of drugs and Machine Gun Conversion Devices into our communities, which reduces crime, protects residents, and fosters safer neighborhoods.”
“The DEA and their partners from the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department continue to relentlessly pursue dangerous fentanyl traffickers like Meriwether. The DEA is grateful to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department for their unwavering commitment to dismantle violent drug-trafficking organizations and keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Milwaukee District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge John G. McGarry.
“This investigation originated in a small Waukesha County community and through the hard work of our local Drug Task Force, and their partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, a criminal organization was dismantled. These law enforcement relationships are paramount to effectively maintaining safety in our communities,” said Captain Tony Kasta, Waukesha County Drug Task Force.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This matter was investigated by ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Waukesha County Drug Task Force, through a coordinated partnership supported by the North Central HIDTA.
In addition to the investigating agencies noted above, multiple law enforcement agencies participated in arrests, the execution of search warrants, and other matters related to the case, including the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation (WI DOJ-DCI), the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the Milwaukee Police Department, the West Allis Police Department, as well as the Indiana State Patrol, Vermillion County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Office, and the Vermillion County District Attorney’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Halopka-Ivery and Patricia Daugherty.
Federal jury finds human smuggler guilty of possessing child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 43-year-old Lyford man has been convicted of possessing 150 images of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before finding Jose Rodriguez Jr. guilty after a one-day trial.
Law enforcement originally arrested Rodriguez Aug. 12, 2024, in connection with an alien transportation event. At that time, they seized his phone and discovered over 150 images and videos of child sexual assault material (CSAM).
During the trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding the multiple images and videos of CSAM downloaded and stored on Rodriguez’s phone over multiple months. The evidence included numerous files depicting sexual assaults of prepubescent children. The jury also learned Rodriguez has a prior conviction for criminal attempted sexual assault from 2010 which involved a minor victim.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that a virus downloaded the CSAM onto his phone. However, evidence showed that Rodriguez had over 100 user accounts on the phone linked to him and that the child pornography was downloaded on 20 separate occasions from April through August of 2024.
The jury also heard from a computer forensic expert who rendered an opinion that the pattern of activity indicated intentional downloading.
“The Southern District of Texas has zero tolerance for child sex offenses, much less repeat sex offenders like the defendant in this case,” said Ganjei. “We are grateful to the jury for serving justice in this case.”
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton set sentencing for July 15. At that time, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Rodriguez was charged in a separate case for the human smuggling event and later pleaded guilty.
He was taken into custody following the verdict where he will remain pending sentencing in both cases.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol conducted the investigation with assistance from Raymondville Police Department and Willacy County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devin Walker and Jose Garcia are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Fargo Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for RobberyRead the Press Release
Fargo – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced that Lucas Tavares, Age 34 of Fargo, ND, appeared in United States District Court today and was sentenced by Chief Judge Peter Welte to serve eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for the offense of Hobbs Act Robbery. Tavares was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.
As reflected in court documents, on March 5, 2024, Tavares robbed the Loaf ‘N Jug located at 1201 N. University Ave, Fargo, ND. An employee told responding officers that Tavares held a knife to his neck during the robbery. Fargo Police Department detectives quickly identified Tavares as the robber and took him into custody on the same day as the robbery. A federal grand jury indicted Tavares for one count of Hobbs Act Robbery. Tavares pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Lee.
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Elma man pleads guilty to production and possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Matthew A. Steele, 53, of Elma, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to production and possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that between July 2008, and July 2010, Steele produced images of child pornography with a minor female (victim) on several occasions from the time she was approximately nine years old until she was approximately 12 years old. Some of the images were distributed by Steele to other unknown individuals. On March 11, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence, seizing two electronic devices. A forensic review of the devices recovered numerous sexually explicit images of the victim created by Steele. In addition, 45 images of child pornography, not involving the victim, that Steele obtained over the internet were recovered. Some of the images included prepubescent minors and depicted violence against children.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 13, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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El Paso Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso husband and wife were sentenced together in a federal court to a combined 25 years in prison for charges related to drug trafficking.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Carlos Morales, 41, and Rebekah Sue Morales, 55, during an FBI surveillance operation on March 5, 2024. Two handguns were located in a backpack belonging to Carlos, a convicted felon. The subsequent execution of a search warrant on the couple’s home resulted in the seizure of additional firearms, ammunition and methamphetamine. Further investigation revealed that both Carlos and Rebekah were involved in trafficking the methamphetamine.
Carlos pleaded guilty on Jan. 6, 2025, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Rebekah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. U.S. District Judge Leon Schydlower sentenced Carlos Morales to the statutory maximum of 15 years in federal prison. Schydlower sentenced Rebekah Sue Morales to 10 years in federal prison. In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of the defendant’s residence, as well as the forfeiture of multiple firearms, all used to facilitate the commission of their crimes.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the El Paso Country Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso Country Constables.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Susanna Martinez prosecuted the case.
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Eight Defendants Indicted in International Conspiracy to Bill $10 Million for Fraudulent Market Survey DataRead the Press Release
CONCORD – An indictment has been unsealed charging eight defendants in connection with an international scheme to bill $10 million in fraudulent market survey data, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Each of the following defendants has been indicted on one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud:
- Frank Hayden, 57, of Evanston, Illinois.
- Daniel Harriman, 38, of Huntsville, Alabama.
- Frank Nappo, 55, of Rye, New Hampshire.
- Ryan Stoudt, 38, of Dallas, Texas.
- Katarina Grubljesic, 46, of Belgrade, Serbia.
- Strahinja Grubljesic, 38, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Archie Ignacio, 46, of Verona, New Jersey.
- Arvind Iyer, a/k/a S. Aravindan, of Delhi, India.
According to the indictment, Op4G and Slice were market research companies based in the United States. Clients would hire the companies to conduct market research surveys. As part of their business model, Op4G and Slice maintained “panels” consisting of individuals potentially eligible to take surveys. In 2014, Hayden, Harriman, and Nappo, who were senior leaders at Op4G, decided to increase company revenues by generating fabricated survey data. To execute the scheme, some of the defendants recruited “ants”, who pretended to be legitimate survey takers but instead were paid a nominal fee for completing surveys that produced fraudulent market research data. Some of the defendants even served as “ants” and fraudulently took large quantities of surveys themselves and received significant payment for their “ant” work.
In or around 2018, Nappo, Hayden and others, decided that Op4G should move the fraudulent survey operation to a new company, which became Slice. By 2019, Op4G and Slice began conspiring with Iyer, a senior leader at an international company, SNWare. By 2021, Katarina Grublijesic left Op4G, but she continued to conspire with the defendants using her international company, Bright Analytic Consulting.
To evade detection, the defendants, including Stoudt and Ignacio, exchanged instructions with each other and the “ants.” These instructions included directions on how to answer survey screener questions, provided parameters on how long “ants” should remain on surveys, and encouraged the use of virtual private network (VPN) services to conceal real IP addresses.
Hayden, Harriman, Nappo, Stoudt, and Ignacio will appear in federal court at a later date.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The FBI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.
Companies that purchased survey data from Op4G or Slice between 2014-2024 are encouraged to contact the U.S. Attorney’s office at [email protected] with the subject line “Slice”.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Ecuadorian man charged with illegal re-entryRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today Lorenzo Antonio Loja-Castro, a citizen of Ecuador, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with re-entry of a removed alien, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who is handling the case, stated that in March 2025, Homeland Security Investigations received information that suspected illegal aliens working construction at townhomes in Hamburg, NY, were creating unsafe living conditions for tenants. Specifically, tenants could not communicate with the workers, and the workers blocked tenant units. On March 26, 2025, law enforcement conducted surveillance and observed several construction workers at the location. Immigration Officials approached the workers and questioned their citizenship, including the defendant, who stated that he did not speak English. When asked in Spanish, Loja-Castro stated that he was from Ecuador and did not have any immigration documents to be present in the United States legally. An immigration check determined that Loja-Castro was previously apprehended in Middleport, NY, and removed from the United States in July 2024.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Loja-Castro made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
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Dominican National Arrested for Conspiring to Distribute Nearly 65,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., has been arrested and charged for allegedly conspiring to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Juan Alexis Rodriguez Garcia, 35, was charged with conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained.
According to the charging documents, Rodriguez Garcia was admitted into the United States in December 2009 as a Lawful Permanent Resident in Puerto Rico. In November 2016, Rodriguez Garcia was arrested in North Andover, Mass. for fentanyl distribution, which he was later convicted of in May 2018. He was ordered removed from the United States in November 2018. It is alleged that, sometime after his removal, Rodriguez Garcia unlawfully reentered the United States.
According to the charging documents, on March 30, 2025, as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, law enforcement attempted to conduct a controlled purchase of 65,000 fentanyl pills from a known drug trafficker. It is alleged that, on April 2, 2025, Rodriguez Garcia arrived at the agreed upon location for the transaction in Lawrence. Rodriguez Garcia was arrested on site for immigration violations.
During a subsequent search of the residence Rodriguez Garcia allegedly visited immediately prior to the planned drug deal, approximately 64,390 fentanyl pills made to look like pharmaceutical pills were found. It is alleged that the pills were packaged into three separate vacuum sealed plastic bags and found inside a large black duffel bag inside of the front closet on the first floor. It is alleged that Rodriguez Garcia’s fingerprints matched two latent prints developed from the plastic bags containing the pills. The fentanyl pills had a net weight of over 7.2 kilograms.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Hudson and Salem, New Hampshire Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney Kunal Pasricha of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dominican National Arrested for Assaulting ICE Deportation OfficerRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Dominican national was arrested for assaulting a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) deportation officer, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Darlin Leon, 39, of the Dominican Republic, is charged by complaint with one count of assaulting a federal officer. Leon appeared on March 28, 2025 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 26, 2025, Leon was in the lawful custody of ICE at a facility located in Newark, New Jersey pending removal from the United States. While being processed for removal, Leon struck the victim deportation officer in the head with a closed fist at least four times. As a result of Leon’s assault, the victim deportation officer sustained bodily injury, including lacerations and abrasions to the back of his head.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Douek of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Linda Foster, AFPD, Esq.
leon.complaint.pdfDayton Woman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Veterans OrganizationRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Cheryl Elizabeth Campos, 61, of Dayton, Oregon, pleaded guilty to wire fraud today as part of a scheme to defraud the Department of Oregon Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
According to court documents, between January 2022 and June 2024, Campos misused her position as Quartermaster of the VFW to access their bank accounts and illegally transfer large sums of money to her personal accounts. To conceal the unauthorized transfers, Campos falsified financial documents, bank statements, and accounting records.
In total, Campos transferred more than $1.7 million from the VFW’s accounts to her personal accounts. Campos used the funds to buy hundreds of crystals, semi-precious rocks, marbles, stones and statues. She also used the funds for personal expenses including credit card payments and purchasing a vehicle for a family member.
On March 24, 2025, Campos was charged by criminal information with wire fraud.
Campos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced on July 8, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Amy M. Baggio.
As part of the plea agreement, Campos has agreed to pay restitution in full to the VFW and will also forfeit any criminally-derived proceeds and property used to facilitate her crimes identified by the government prior to sentencing.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Robert S. Trisotto, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Colombian National Indicted for Assaulting Ice Deportation OfficerRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Colombian national was indicted for assaulting a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Hector Villegas-Alvarez, 27, of Colombia, is charged with one count of assaulting a federal officer. Villegas Alvarez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court last week and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On February 23, 2025, ICE deportation officers identified Villegas Alvarez as an individual without legal immigration status to be deported from the United States. ICE deportation officers stopped Villegas Alvarez and attempted to arrest him. Villegas Alvarez, however, physically resisted arrest and, in the process, forcefully elbowed one of the ICE deportation officers in the face. As a result of Villegas Alvarez’s assault, the victim deportation officer sustained bodily injury, including a broken nose and a concussion from which she suffers severe post-concussion symptoms, including fainting and difficulty breathing.
“These charges reaffirm our commitment to protect the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line for the people of New Jersey every day. Those who choose to attack and assault law enforcement will continue to be met with swift and severe punishment.”
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited deportation officers of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney George L. Brandley of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: K. Anthony Thomas, Esq., Federal Public Defender
villegasalvarez.indictment.pdfCo-Conspirators Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man and woman pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from October 2022 to August 2023, Keamber McCoy, 27, and Afrika Roshawn Seals, 42, conspired to distribute cocaine. The investigation involved five controlled purchases of cocaine. Three of those controlled purchases were arranged and negotiated by Seals and McCoy delivered cocaine. In the other two controlled purchases, Seals arranged, negotiated, and delivered cocaine. Additionally, in September 2023, agents searched Seals’ residence and found and seized three kilograms of cocaine and $84,411 in cash.
McCoy pled guilty on April 7, 2025. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Seals pled guilty on April 14, 2025. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2025, and faces a minimum and maximum penalty of 5 to 40 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, Director Steven Maxwell of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bert Carraway, Adam Stuart, and Amber Jones are prosecuting the case.
Carter Lake Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Carter Lake man was sentenced on March 12, 2025, to 84 months in in federal prison for receiving child pornography.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with Jay McCall Schnider, 52, received and uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material between April 2020 and July 2023. Law enforcement seized an electronic device during the execution of a search warrant of Schnider’s Carter Lake residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic device showed that Schnider used the device to receive images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Schnider will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Carnegie Man Charged with Evading Taxes and Willful Failure to File Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of tax evasion and willful failure to file a tax return, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The seven-count Indictment named Caesar Tavoletti III, 42, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, Tavoletti evaded taxes for tax years 2018-2020 and willfully failed to file tax returns for tax years 2018-2021.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss of the offense, or both, on each of the tax evasion counts. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney William Guappone is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Canadian Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Transportation of a Minor to Engage in Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Saskatchewan, Canada man was sentenced on March 6, 2025 to 14 years in federal prison for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to public court documents, Quentin Joel Nighttraveller, 45, drove his fourteen-year-old daughter from Canada to the United States. Nighttraveller worked as a commercial truck driver. In Rogers, Minnesota, Nighttraveller stopped to get the truck repaired. Nighttraveller sexually assaulted the victim. They continued the trip and while in Avoca, Iowa, the victim ran from the truck in the gas station and requested assistance. Nighttraveller drove away.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Nighttraveller will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Buffalo man pleads guilty to conspiracy to steal mailRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Lamor Runell Bolden, 27, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to commit mail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that on October 2, 2024, Bolden conspired with Eric Michael Robinson and Antonio Jones, Jr. to steal mail from mail receptacles in Cheektowaga, NY. In addition, the defendants also possessed a key used to open authorized mail receptacles. Bolden drove with Robinson and Jones to a mail facility in Cheektowaga at approximately 1:00 a.m. on October 2, 2024. Robinson drove and Bolden and Jones were passengers. Robinson parked the car behind a row of blue collection mailboxes outside the postal facility, Bolden and Jones got out of the car, and Jones opened the mailboxes with the stolen key and stole mail from the mailboxes while Bolden stood watch. The two then got back into the car and Robinson drove away. A short time later, their car was stopped by law enforcement. At the time the car was stopped, various opened and unopened pieces of mail were found inside. Bolden admits that he and his co-conspirators used the stolen key to open mailboxes at other locations around the Western District of New York.
Charges remain pending against Antonio Jones, Jr. Eric Michael Robinson was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 13, 2025, before Judge Sinatra.
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